


Thank God for Mothers

by smile_lifegoeson



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Gen, I know we don't know anything about their parents, Mother-Son Relationship, Zeref is kinda evil here, but I have my theories, but he will be here, but never fear he won't be if i add him to another fic, i don't think their dad is evil, igneel is natsus mom younger brother, like Jude was in the beginning, natsus mom is his best friend, uncle igneel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 16:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19890772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smile_lifegoeson/pseuds/smile_lifegoeson
Summary: Senior prom, college... it's all right around the corner for Natsu and his friends. The challenge of asking Lucy to be his date should be his main worry at this point in life. But with the reveal of a secret his mom kept since he was born, Natsu has to decide between staying and continuing life as it is, or leave it all behind for a future that he never knew was his.





	1. I have a brother?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I might start posting my fanfics from tumblr and ff . net on here pretty soon! But I updated this last night so I thought it would be a great way to get started doing that. 
> 
> #PrayforKyoAni
> 
> Fairy Tail and all its characters belong to Hiro Mashima.

"I don't know…" a dark haired boy pulled on the collar of his shirt, avoiding looking into his friends eyes.

"What do you mean you don't know!" a beautiful blonde slammed her hands down on his desk, "Just ask her out!"

Natsu Dragneel rolled his eyes at the familiar scene. There was a big dance coming up and Gray refused to admit he wanted to ask his 'stalker' Juvia and Lucy was trying to convince him to stop being a baby about it.

"I'm sure Lyon is already planning on asking her," Lucy sat down and smugly crossed her arms, thinking she had won.

"Lyon is going with Meldy," Gray pointed at the blonde, "and what about you, huh? Do you have a date to the senior prom?"

Natsu's eyes widened, he turned around to avoid the conversation. He sat a few rows in front of Lucy and Gray. They were his friends, but due to his attention issues the teacher forced him to sit in the front row. So he couldn't join conversations that easily with them, but this time he was pretty thankful.

"I… don't have a date yet."

Natsu groaned quietly, he knew why too. Every guy that tried to ask her to the prom he scared off. But he still didn't have the courage to ask her himself.

Gray whispered to Lucy, "Why don't you go and ask Pinky?"

Natsu stiffened, _"WHAT THE HELL, FULLBUSTER?!"_

"Oh… um…"

The bell ringing could have either saved him from embarrassment of hearing her say she didn't like him, or miss the chance of her saying she wanted him to ask her. Whatever she said, he skipped out on as he ran out of the room.

"Watch where you're going, Natsu," he heard Laxus say to him as he passed Mirajane's locker. He was protecting her from his whirlwind.

"Sorry!"

"What's got yer panties in a bunch?" his locker mate Gajeel asked when Natsu landed headfirst into the metal door.

"Uh, nothing," Natsu knelt down to unlock his bottom locker.

"Don't look like nothin'," Gajeel snorted, pulling his leather gloves on to cover his rough knuckles.

Natsu sat down, ignoring his cousin's stare along with every person that passed him. He knew he was being odd, he was Natsu Dragneel after all. He was the top athlete for their graduating class and already had a full ride to Crocus University, Fiores leading school for engineering programs. He was the class clown who was never nervous or scared. But today he was both.

Because his long-time crush may or may not want him to be her date to the senior prom.

"Uh," Natsu stood quickly so he could catch up with Gajeel, "have you already asked Levy to prom?"

Gajeel snorted, "Hell, she asked me back before Christmas."

"Ah… gotcha."

"Why do you care? Thought you weren't going," Gajeel kicked the doors open for the two to go out.

"I wasn't going to…" Natsu had decided as a freshman he wouldn't do the cliché thing and go to prom. Back then he never dreamed of having a chance with Lucy. But for the last several weeks, Lucy had been dropping hints that she may just like him back, "but um, I may have found someone to ask…"

"Ya mean Lucy?"

Onyx eyes glared daggers into his cousins eyebrow-less face, "What?"

"It's obvious as pie that ya like her," Gajeel rolled his eyes, "don't know why ya haven't asked her out before."

They reached the edge of the parking lot, Gajeel stopping to dig for his keys while staring at his dumbstruck family member.

"But-but-but-"Natsu sputtered.

"Well, it ain't obvious to people who don't know ya. Hell, Igneel was the one who told me."

"Uncle Igneel told you that? WHY! I told him to keep it a secret…"

"Gajeel!" the boys looked back towards the school to see blue curls heading to them. Glasses perched on her nose and a backpack full of books neither of them could understand.

"Well, you better ask her soon," Gajeel pitifully patted Natsu on the shoulder, "or the poor girl will have to go to prom all alone, with all her friends with a boy."

"Hey guys," Levy skipped to a stop, glancing from the boys. One close to laughter and one close to slaughter, "what's going on?"

"Noting," Natsu jumped in before Gajeel could say anything, knowing he would in the truck anyway, "see you guys tomorrow."

Cursing his dumb cousin, Natsu ran over to his car, throwing his books into the backseat.

_"Damn it… what am I supposed to do…"_

"Hey Natsu."

"Lucy!" Natsu opened his arms up wide and tackled her into a hug.

"Geez, you," she laughed, there cars were parked next to one another. A privilege of being a senior, getting to have first pick on where you park. They had been one of the first to get a tag and thankfully got one right at the doors, right beside each other.

"What's up tonight? Your old man gonna try and cook again?" he snickered, Lucy's poor father had tried to make her senior year special by saying he was going to cook every night for her. He did good for the first month, but then started to run out of ideas.

"No," she unlocked her car doors and tossed in her bags, "He, Mom, and me are going furniture shopping. Going to get something on the way home."

"Furniture shopping?"

"Yeah," she blushed, leaning against the door of her pretty blue Chevy Cruz, "for my dorm room. Oh, Crocus University is going to be amazing Natsu!"

"Yeah it is," Natsu copied her and leaned on the door of his red Chevy Malibu, "too bad Gray is gonna be there too."

"Hey, don't be like that. I'm just glad that all our friends are going to be close by."

"Yeah, yeah," he smirked, "the only person you need to care about being around is me anyway."

"Right," she shook her head at the way he puffed his chest muscles.

"Whatever, we still have a few months," he glanced over at their 'home' for the last four years, "hard to believe it's almost over."

"Yeah, hard to believe we all survived," Lucy crossed her arms, "remember Mr. Holden in 9th grade?"

"Ugh! He hated me!"

"Because you blew up the chemistry lab on the first day."

"So what? He teaches every grade, he should have been ready for it," Natsu stuck his tongue out at her.

"Still, maybe you should have waited a few weeks," Lucy held her hair back as the early spring breeze picked up her long strands and tossed them around.

"He still wasn't as bad as Mrs. Keen last year," Natsu gagged.

"She was sweet, you and Gray just made her hate her job."

"She taught a pottery class and was able to make it even more boring than it was."

"You like art classes though, I still don't understand why you didn't like it."

"Who cares!" He lifted his fist up to the sky, gazing at the white clouds that flew with the wind, "in a few weeks we'll be done with this place and have a new round of teachers to annoy!"

"Yeah, that's true," Lucy fondly watched Natsu, "I really am glad we'll be together there."

Natsu smiled, "We'll always be together, Lucy."

Lucy smiled back at him, tossing her gaze down so her blush wouldn't brighten.

Looking around the parking lot, Natsu realized most of the cars around them were gone.

"So, uh, you and Gray were talking about prom in class," he saw her jump a little, "did he say if he'd ask Juvia yet?"

"Not yet, but I'm getting close. I'm going to text Erza tonight and see if she can talk to him in the morning," Lucy's arms came to wrap around her stomach.

"That's great, he needs to ask her…"

Lucy gulped, "And you? Who… are you taking?"

Natsu's breath came out shaky. How long had he liked Lucy? Since he was 13? He knew what type of guy she wanted, and that wasn't the kind of guy he was. But… he couldn't help but want to find out if he wrong.

"I haven't asked anyone yet," he took a step closer to her.

"Who… do you plan on asking?"

"I don't know… if she wants me to ask her."

Lucy's chocolate eyes gazed into his, "Would you ask… if you knew? I… can find out."

He braced one hand on the car next to Lucy's arm, "Who are you going with?"

Avoiding his gaze, she answered, "No one has asked me yet."

Natsu turned his head so he could watch her reactions, "Who do you want to ask you?"

Lucy bravely looked him straight in the eyes, tilting her chin up so she would be level with him. And right before he could hear her answer….

"Um, your phone is ringing," Lucy shied away again, losing all the confidence she had worked up.

_"Damn it, whoever it is, is gonna PAY for this…."_

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen, "Mom?" she never called him, "Hang on Lucy… hello?"

_"Hi honey, where are you?"_

Natsu raised his brow, but lifted his arm to look at his watch, "It's only 3:30, I'm still at school. Talking to Lucy."

_"I'm sorry to interrupt. And unless it's important I need you to come straight home when you're done."_

She was never this straight forward with him, and usually she would be teasing him about Lucy and letting him stay and talk as much as he liked. "Everything ok?"

_"Yes, Everything is fine. I just have something I need to talk to you about."_

"Uh," he caught Lucy staring at him, he shrugged because he really didn't know," yeah, I'll be home soon."

_"Thank you, Natsu."_

"Ok, see ya," he hung up the phone, staring at the picture of him and his mom from a few weeks ago. A goofy snapchat filter of dog faces covering theirs smiled back at him. His mothers beautiful face scrunched up as she giggled at the view of herself.

"What's up?"

"I… don't know. She wants me to come home and talk about something."

"Then you better get going," Lucy snuck in beside him and hugged him, "text me later and let me know what it's about."

"Sure," he leaned his forehead against hers before letting go.

They parted ways and Natsu went as fast he could to get home.

His mother, Elena Dragneel, was his rock. She was the most awesome woman alive. She passed on her obsession of dragons to him, he got his love of fire from her younger brother, his uncle Igneel.

It had just been the two of them since the day he was born. She never spoke about his father, only said he was a loving man. Natsu never bothered asking. He didn't care, not after one night he heard her and Igneel talking. He was too young to understand most of it, but he remembered his mother saying she missed him but was glad she left. And Igneel said something about how much better off the two of them were. Natsu was thankful for his mother and if Uncle Igneel said they were better off, then he was better off not knowing.

His mom practiced sports with him, she played games with him, she hung out with his friends, she helped him figure out girls… he couldn't ask for a better mom. She was easy going, she could be a dragon herself when he messed up, but most of the time she was laid back.

The way she spoke on the phone… it was like another person was talking. She was too formal. Nothing like he knew.

Pulling into their driveway, Natsu saw his moms Toyota Highlander… and a rental car. He parked behind his moms SUV and got out. He slowly looked over the rental car. She didn't say anything this morning about company, the only thing she said to him this morning, or rather yelled at him to stop drinking the last of her coffee before she kissed him goodbye.

He shook his head, _"Must be a surprise visit or something."_

"I'm home," he kicked off his shoes and dropped his bag on the table next to his moms purse, their designated 'I'll need it tomorrow' table, "Mom?"

"Living room!"

He took a detour to the kitchen and grabbed an apple before walking into the room with his mother and mystery guest.

"Uh," he stopped walking when his foot his the white carpet.

His mom was sitting on the love seat, her black hair in it's usual sloppy bun on the top of her head. Same white shorts and paint splattered t-shirt she wore all the time. She sat like she always did, ankles crossed and one arm behind her and one in her lap. Across from her sat a young man,

His position was rigid, back straight and arms neatly in his lap with his hands clasped. His feet were firmly planted on the floor shoulder length apart. He was dressed sharply in his black slacks and pristine white button up. Natsu glared at his face, it looked like the guy was insanely bored yet intrigued at his surroundings at the same time. He had hair black as his moms, but a weird little point stood at the top of his head.

The man turned slowly to Natsu, a smile lifted the corner of his lips ever so slightly.

Elena coughed, "Natsu, come in."

Natsu kept glaring as he took a seat next to her. He saw something familiar in the man, but he didn't want to admit what it was.

"Hello, Natsu," he nodded in a polite gesture, "My name is Zeref Dragion. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The formalities disgusted Natsu, he hated this form of talk. So he retaliated in the best way possible, "Yo. What's up?"

He could see that Zeref was visibly repulsed by his responses. What he didn't get was the weird glance Zeref gave his mother, like he was mad at her for her sons actions.

Elena smirked at her sons word choice, not caring at all that their guest didn't like it.

"Natsu, Zeref is from Alvarez. He is going to be staying with us for the next few days."

Natsu turned to his mother and whispered, "Why?"

Alvarez is a small country to the north of Fiore. It was all over the news that the crown prince had just got married just months ago. Why someone from that nation would come here and stay with them was beyond Natsu.

Elena took a deep breath, knowing her next few sentences would change everything, "Zeref is here to talk to you Natsu. He wants to get to know you."

Natsu glared at the newcomer, "What for?"

Closing her eyes, Elena said, "He's your brother."

Zeref smiled, closing his eyes in joy, "I hope we can get along Natsu."

Shock didn't begin to explain what Natsu was feeling. He shot out of his seat, ready to accuse his own mother of lying. But he knew she wasn't, she wouldn't lie about something like that. Her face was covered in regret and sadness.

"My… brother?"


	2. My brother is a WHAT?

"So… you have an older brother?"

Natsu glared at the lunch table with barely open eyes, he didn't sleep a wink last night, "Apparently."

"It's strange your mother never mentioned him before," Erza noted as she went through her student council papers, "but she probably has a good reason, the same as why you've never met your father."

"Whatever, he's a creep," Natsu reached over and grabbed a handful of Lucy's fries and stuffed them in his mouth, "he just needs to leave already."

"Did your mom say anything else?" Gray sat across from him doing some last-minute homework.

"Did you even have a chance to talk to her?" Lucy asked, "Or did… Zeref… keep you occupied."

"I couldn't get away from the guy!" Natsu growled, just thinking about it made his skin crawl, "He followed me around all night. Kept correcting me when I said something wrong and telling me sit properly and BLEH!"

The whole table had looks of uncertainty, Natsu was known for not caring how others thought of him and ignoring directions of the like. His mother never cared much unless they were in certain situations. So having a long lost sibling say those things really hurt the atmosphere at the Dragneel home.

"Did he ever say why he was visiting after all this time?" Levy didn't look up from her dusty tome to question, "And how much older is he than you?"

Natsu growled, he was tired of talking about Zeref. One look from Lucy, a look of interest, had him actually answering.

"No. I asked a bunch of times but he said he'd explain later. And he's 23. Mom was like 19 when he was born."

Jellal, who had been silently helping Erza with her papers, looked up and said, "So he lives with your father in Alvarez? Why did they move there I wonder."

Natsu didn't question it. He apparently had family in Alvarez, his father was from there after all. She told him a long time ago that before he was born she had lived there with his dad before deciding to raise him in Fiore.

"Dad was from there, I think they met when they both went to CU," he his head down on the table, pleased when his cute crush started to play with his hair.

"Who gives a damn?" Gajeel had finally had enough of this conversation, he picked up his and Levy's trays before adding, "He's here, like it or not ya gotta deal with him. Only be a few days before he's back in his own country and your life goes back to normal. He probably just wanted to meet ya or some shit."

"Gajeel is right," Lucy leaned in close to Natsu, causing the pinkette to blush, "what harm is it in getting to know him? I know you don't care about knowing your dad but your brother is here wanting to know _you_. Give him a chance, it's only for a few days."

Pouting, Natsu thought about what it would mean to give him a chance. He might actually have to go to Alvarez one day to meet his father. He didn't give a shit. And his brother is apparently married if the shiny gold ring on his finger means anything, so that means he has a sister-in-law he'd have to meet. Why would they care to include him after ignoring him and his mom for 18 years.

"I'll think about it," he didn't care about that stuff anyway. He was happy with it being just him and his mom. And all he wanted to worry about was how he was going to ask Lucy to the prom.

**_RING~RING_ **

"Let's go!" Levy jumped up, the only one excited to go back to class.

"I'm not finished yet," Gray groaned.

"You should have finished last night, Darling," Juvia stated, "that is why it is called _home_ work."

"Yeah, yeah," Gray stuffed his books back into his bag and took Juvia by the hand.

Natsu and Lucy stared wide-eyed at the new pair. Gaping when Gray turned back and winked at them.

"Are they…?" Lucy whispered.

"I guess?" Natsu narrowed his eyes at his frenemy, furious that he didn't tell him the secret to asking out his long-time crush.

"Good for them," Erza approached to walk next to Lucy, "I was wondering when Gray would finally ask her."

"It had nothing to do with your threats, Erza," Jellal snickered and wrapped his arm around her waist. He smiled when his scarlet enchantress pouted at him.

Lucy sighed, she was surrounded by couples. Happy couples. And she was always next to the person she wanted to be with and yet there was nothing going on. She may as well ask him out…

Natsu gulped as he watched Lucy look around at their friends. He needed to act fast. He had asked his mom a while back about it and she had turned into a giggling mess because he finally admitted to liking her, so she was no help.

He thought about it all the way to class, he could always ask uncle Igneel again. But he was bound to just tell him to be a man. Same with Gildarts, Metalicana, or Silver… All the men in his life would just laugh or tell him to grow a pair.

Except…

He could ask Zeref?

It was almost as if he was struck, he jerked so fast, _"What the hell?! Why would I ask him ANYTHING?"_

Sitting in the front row he could hear Lucy's laugh from a few seats back. He felt his face get hot, she did weird things to him. His hands got all clammy, his heart raced, his attention span turned to absolute zero and he focused solely on her. He even spent his first class of the day drawing a picture of her staring at her book. He was way past the crush stage and well onto the love part.

Letting out a big breath of air, he realized he really needed to grow a pair.

Tiptoeing inside, Natsu used all the ninja skills he knew to get to his room without his brother knowing. His mom was still at work and it would just be the two of them for another hour or so.

He didn't see Zeref in the kitchen or the living room, maybe he was in the guest room?

Sighing in relief, Natsu trudged into his room only to find the said house guest, "What the hell?!"

"Language, brother," Zeref briefly looked up from one of Natsu's old sketchpads to glance over his younger brother, "it is appropriate to announce your arrival once you have entered the house."

"Yeah well, we don't do that here," he threw his book bag onto his bed and grabbed the books Zeref was looking at, "and who said you could look at these?!"

"Before Mother left this morning, she said to make myself comfortable. And I am here to learn about you, so naturally your room is where I began," Zeref spun the desk chair he was in to look directly at Natsu's bookcase, "you have quite the collection of magazines with scantily clad women. Does Mother know of this?"

A volcano erupting could rival the steam coming from Natsu's ears, "NO SHE DOESN'T AND YOU WON'T TELL HER!"

He ran to said bookcase and moved things around to hide the magazines. He prayed that neither his mom nor Lucy ever saw these. Stupid Loke for getting him a subscription!

"I won't betray your trust, Natsu," Zeref stood, the creepy smile still plastered on his face, "not like our mother did to you."

"What are you talking about?"

Zeref slowly walked to the shelf holding all of Natsu's ribbons and trophy's, he gazed at them fondly. Without missing a beat he said, "Why, she neglected to tell you of me. After all, I knew of you since the moment you were born. Father desperately wanted Mother to stay and raise you alongside us in Alvarez, but she chose to return to her home. And she never told you about me. I'd say that is a great betrayal."

"I never gave a damn about who my father was," Natsu gripped the back of desk chair to stop from charging, no one disrespected his mother that way, "and I really don't care that I have a brother either. So no, she didn't betray me. She gave me the best damn life she could."

"You would have had a much better life in Alvarez," Zeref stopped his wondering and stood directly in front of Natsu, still smiling.

Natsu growled back, "I doubt it."

"Oh I'm positive of it. Have you heard much of the royal family in Alvarez?"

"Sorta."

Zeref made a face, whether in how he said it or his lack of knowledge, Natsu didn't know nor care.

"Alvarez is a small nation. The royal family has the majority of power. The 12 leaders of the army all answer directly to the king. They are called the Spriggan 12, as they all hail from the 12 different areas of Alvarez. The religion-"

"I ain't asking for a history lesson! Get to the point."

Zeref flinched at being interrupted. But to Natsu's great disappointment, he continued, "As I was saying, the royal family makes all the decisions of the country. The King is not married, but he does have a son, the crown prince. The prince was recently married to a woman from Fiore."

"Yeah? I did hear about that. Guess it was because she was from here. What's all this got to do with Mom 'betraying' me?" Natsu crossed his arms, ready for this to be over.

"Why, you're staring at the crown prince," Zeref said so matter-of-factly.

The room stood still for just a moment, before the world spun, "Wha… What?"

"That's right, I am the crown prince of Alvarez. Father is the ruler himself over an entire nation, had you stayed with us you would have wanted for nothing your whole life."

The pink haired teen had to sit down to process what he was just told, "It's not true, how the hell is that true?"

Zeref pulled out his wallet and reached in to show Natsu his ID, "No lies here, brother."

The ID was fancy, with his title right above his name.

"Serious? You're a _prince?"_

"Me?" Zeref chuckled a bit, "Natsu, _you_ are a prince too. Your father is the King."

A prince? Him? He couldn't be a prince, too many rules and restrictions. So staring right at Zeref's smug face, he laughed, "No way. No way in hell would I want to be a snotty nosed brat of a prince. I'd never want to turn out like YOU!"

"Well you are, indeed, a prince. It is your birthright. And that is why I am here."

"Huh?" Natsu had begun to reach for the door to throw his brothers royal pain in the ass out, but he was honestly curious now.

"I am here to ask you to come home, to Alvarez."

"My home is here," Natsu stood his ground. Zeref may have 6 years on him, but a life in a royal castle was most likely nothing on a life to an athlete. He could take him.

"Father personally asked for you to come and meet him."

"He can come here if he wants to meet me so bad."

"He cannot neglect his country."

"And I can't ignore my schoolwork."

Zeref sighed, he had begged his wife, Mavis, to come. She was a master at getting things to go her way.

"You need to come and meet him and consider your options."

"What options? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Language, please. You are a prince, you should act like one."

"Like FUCK I'm a prince!" Natsu slammed his fist into the wall, making a large dent, "I wasn't raised to be a prince. I was raised to be Natsu Dragneel! A kid from Magnolia whose gonna be an awesome Engineer one day, paying for college playing soccer, fighting for best artist with Gray, and being Lucy Heartfilia's boyfriend!"

Zeref tried to speak but was once again interrupted, "So don't tell me to start acting like something I'm not. I'll never accept you as my brother, or some king I don't give a damn about as my father. I'm staying right here!"

Zeref narrowed his eyes, undeterred, "I'll give you until the end of the week for your answer," he glided out of the room, "I would have a chat with Mother soon, about why she chose to leave our father. Maybe then you will understand why I believe that she betrayed you."

And with that, Natsu was finally alone.

He grimaced when he took another glance at the wall, his mom was going to kill him.

He sat back down into his chair. He took a good look at his trophy's, all the sports festival ribbons, science fair ribbons, eating contest ribbons. Right next to the shelf was a bulletin board full of photos, it had pictures from the start of high school up till now.

One of him and guys dressed as the strippers from _Magic Mike_ for Halloween, Juvia passed out from seeing Gray covered in body glitter. The whole group sitting in the stands at the last football game of the season. All the dress up days from Homecoming week. Erza's annual Christmas party. And finally his favorite.

He smiled as he looked at it. It was a picture of him and Lucy at the pumpkin farm back in the fall. They had been messing around like they always did and somehow fell into a bale of hay. She had straws sticking in her hair and her hat, so did he. She had laughed so much at their appearance she just had to take a picture. That's what he loved so much about Lucy. Her father was the mayor, but she didn't let that stop her from being his friend and enjoying life with him. She wasn't a snobby rich kid like Zeref.

He shook his head, and he had actually considered asking Zeref for girl advice?

Looking around again, he saw little things that had huge memories attached to them. If he had grown up in Alvarez, he wouldn't have all this. He wouldn't have his friends, he wouldn't have Lucy.

"Natsu! I'm home!" he heard his mom call from downstairs.

If he grew up in Alvarez, the relationship he had with his mom would be different.

He needed to know why she never told him. He knows she had a good reason. He already decided to not go, but he at least needed to know why. He prayed she had a good reason.

"Hey! I'm coming!" he ran into the hall and slid down the banister, "What's for supper?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're here reading this, then thanks so much for continuing! We only have one more chapter to go!


End file.
